What has 3 wheels and is full of tools?

A small team of engineers, designers and educators is starting something big (well, big in some ways) at the Makers Asylum this summer. In an effort to bring making to a greater audience in Mumbai we are hitting the street in a fully customized auto rickshaw full of tools for making, hacking, building and learning. … Continued

A small team of engineers, designers and educators is starting something big (well, big in some ways) at the Makers Asylum this summer. In an effort to bring making to a greater audience in Mumbai we are hitting the street in a fully customized auto rickshaw full of tools for making, hacking, building and learning. Starting in May, we will be converting a decommissioned auto rickshaw into a mobile platform for short, free, project-based workshops throughout Mumbai and the surrounding area. Each workshop will be conducted in partnership with another community group, organizations or nonprofit in the city, and will be designed specifically to fit their mission. For instance, if we are working with a neighbourhood association, we might build public furniture or a playground. If we are working with a music school the workshop may focus on building a large collaborative musical instrument.

If you have ever stepped into a maker space you’ve probably felt a type of energy distinctly different than anywhere else. As makers, we know the excitement that comes from building something new, and we want to share this with others. The Maker Auto team believes that anyone can be a maker and that making things can be a empowering. India has countless people who make their living building things, but physical building activities are not often viewed as a respectable career path. Handwork is often associated with low wages and is not respected by many of India’s educated elite. One of the goals of the Maker Auto team is to begin to bridge that gap by facilitating interdisciplinary making workshops that are free and open to the public.

If you would like to be part of the team developing classes and workshops for the Auto, please see this job description: Community Champion